USMNT REWIND: Pulisic, Balogun, Tillman and Vazquez Score to Lift Their Clubs to Victory
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Christian Pulisic sparked AC Milan with the first goal in the club’s 2-0 win against Lazio after assisting on another during a mid-week encounter.
Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman scored and assisted on goals to help their respective teams, Monaco and PSV Eindhoven, earn some valuable points.
Brandon Vazquez played a vital role as FC Cincinnati secured its first piece of hardware.
Those four members of the U.S. Men's National Team pool made headlines this past weekend.
Christian Pulisic recorded his third goal of the Italian Serie A season, connecting in the 60th minute to give AC Milan the lead in its 2-0 victory over Lazio at the San Siro on Saturday, Sept. 30. The goal was Pulisic's third in seven league matches and first since a 4-1 win against Torino on Aug. 26.
Rafael Leao chipped a one-bounce feed from the left wing to Pulisic, who volleyed the ball home with his left foot from the penalty spot, into the lower left corner. Goalkeeper Ivan Provedel got both hands on the ball but could not stop it from entering the net.
Before being replaced by Samuel Chuwueze in the 82nd minute, Pulisic was joined on the field by USMNT teammate Yunus Musah, who replaced the injured Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the 29th minute.
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, Pulisic registered an assist Loftus-Cheek's 60th-minute goal in a 3-1 win at Cagliari.
After missing two penalties in a 1-0 loss to Nice on Sept. 22, Folarin Balogun rebounded quite well for Monaco in its 3-2 comeback win over Marseille in French Ligue 1 on Saturday, Sept. 30.
With the hosts trailing in the 23rd minute, the U.S. forward leveled the score at 2-2. Maghnes Akliouche found Balogun, who beat keeper Pau Lopez with a low shot at the near post.
Balogun returned the favor to Akliouche, assisting on his teammate's second goal and game-winner in the 52nd minute. Balogun has two goals in four league matches this campaign.
A week after being left off the squad for oversleeping, Malik Tillman made a memorable first start for PSV Eindhoven, scoring once and assisting on another goal in the 3-1 victory over visiting Volendam in the Dutch Eredivisie on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Tillman, who earned Man of the Match honors, first made his impact in the 47th minute when he chipped a pass to Guus Til to lift PSV to a 2-1 lead. Six minutes into stoppage time, Tillman added an insurance goal when he ran onto a loose ball and drilled a shot from 12 yards past keeper Mio Backhaus.
Brandon Vazquez struck twice within a seven-minute span in the opening half to stake FC Cincinnati to a two-goal advantage en route to a 3-2 triumph at Toronto FC on Saturday, Sept. 30, to win its first MLS Supporters Shield.
After a throw-in several feet from the corner kick flag in the 28th minute, Álvaro Barreal crossed the ball into the middle of the penalty area. Yerson Mosquera directed it to Vazquez, who finished past goalkeeper Luka Gavran from the penalty spot.
He doubled the lead in the 35th minute, burying a rebound of an Aaron Boupendza shot. Vazquez has eight goals and four assists in MLS regular season play.
He also recorded a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Chivas Guadalajara in the Leagues Cup on July 28.
Jordan Pefok assisted on Alassane Plea's second goal of the match three minutes into first-half injury time with a nice hold-up play in Borussia Mönchengladbach's 3-1 win at Bochum in the Bundesliga on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Defender DeJuan Jones' cross set up Dave Romney's header at the back in the 85th minute to give the New England Revolution a 2-1 home victory over Charlotte FC in MLS action on Saturday, Sept. 30. The win kept the Revs unbeaten at Gillette Stadium at 11-0-4. Jones has five assists and one goal this season.